Attended a meeting of the Governing body of John Ruskin College. These are difficult times for many sixth form colleges as the introduction of the apprenticeship levy has had the effect of reducing the number of people signing up for apprenticeships. Some challenging times ahead.

Croydon Council will be running a winter energy advice drop in session at Selsdon Library on Thursday 7th February between 10.00am and 1.00pm.

At the event residents can get free independent energy bill and tariff advice from a qualified energy assessor, including help finding and switching to lower energy tariffs, and advice about any debt they owe their energy supplier. They will also be able to find out about support offered through the Croydon Healthy Homes home visits, including assisting eligible households to apply for free larger energy efficiency measures (energy efficient boilers, heating controls and cavity wall/loft insulation etc).

This event is one of a series of events being run over the winter months in partnership with the Upper Norwood Library Trust, who have staff trained as energy assessors. Details of other events are available on the Council website www.croydon.gov.uk/energyevents

Please do go along and also encourage anyone else who might benefit to come along too. Please bring along a recent gas and electricity bill.

The Council will be running a winter energy advice drop in session at Selsdon Library on Thursday 7th February between 10.00am and 1.00pm.

At the event residents can get free independent energy bill and tariff advice from a qualified energy assessor, including help finding and switching to lower energy tariffs, and advice about any debt they owe their energy supplier. They will also be able to find out about support we offer through our Croydon Healthy Homes home visits, including assisting eligible households apply for free larger energy efficiency measures (energy efficient boilers, heating controls and cavity wall/loft insulation etc).

In the last few weeks I have heard that GLL have raised the possibility that the community room in the Monks Hill Sports Centre could be turned into a gym. I know this caused great concern from the Over 50s lunch club.

I met with a senior Council officer last week and asked her about the GLL plans. I pointed out the following:

"When I was the councillor for Heathfield before this was built, I secured £100,000 from the council to include a community space within the redevelopment of the Quest Academy and the Sports Centre. This formed part of the planning application that was approved in 2013. The community space was to replace the Edgecoombe Community Centre which closed as it was in poor repair. If the money had not been allocated for this purpose the space would not have been included in the redevelopment. It was never intended that it should be part of the sports complex.

The Over 50s lunch club moved to the new community space when it opened and the facility included provisions to allow for this use, including separate access, toilets and a kitchen."

I don’t think GLL had been aware of the background about the community room. I get the impression that they are now backing off and the message from the Council officer is that they were only having initial discussions about it.

One of the reasons they were raising this as an idea was the lack of use of the community room. I have therefore asked for a meeting with GLL to see what can be done to increase usage and make it more available to local residents. The Edgecoombe Community Centre was very well used so there is every reason to expect that the community room would be equally in demand.

A number of residents have commented on the poor condition of the playground in Addington Park and also the one in Selsdon Recreation Ground.

I have raised this with a senior officer at the Council and I am pleased to report that funding has been secured to refurbish the Addington Park playground. A bid is also being submitted to get funds to refurbish the Selsdon playground and the officer seemed reasonably confident that funds could be secured.

The process for getting the funds should be completed by May and the plan is to consult with residents about the proposed improvements during the summer.

This is good news for Selsdon residents and should bring these well-used community assets up to the standard required for our children to use safely.

Council Meeting28/01/2019 16:42:00.......Posted by Helen Pollard

Attended a meeting of the Full Council in the Town Hall. A Selsdon resident came to the meeting to ask a public question about bin collections. He has suffered terrible service from the Council - broken bins, missed collections, and poor customer service when he complained. He is one of many residents who have had issues with bin collections in the last 6 months. I hope Cllr Stuart Collins does as he promised at the meeting, and sorts out the bin issues for this resident, and many others who have suffered poor service.

Last meeting of the Board of John Ruskin College before the College merges with East Surrey College. The staff of JRC have maintained their focus on delivering excellent quality education for their learners despite the obviously unsettling merger process.

Cabinet Meeting21/01/2019 16:44:00.......Posted by Helen Pollard

Welcomed the Creative Enterprise Zone investment in culture in Croydon. Looking forward to becoming a 'music city' and seeing our arts scene flourish. Asked for a 'spoke' for the 'hub' to be in the south of Croydon as well as the one in the north of the borough.

Ballards Farm12/01/2019 16:45:00.......Posted by Helen Pollard

Spent the morning meeting residents in the Ballards Farm area of Selsdon. Good to discuss issues in the area.

Health advice for the New Year - start as you mean to go on07/01/2019 15:04:00.......Posted by Robert Ward

Croydon Council has some good advice for residents who want to start the New Year by making plans for a healthier and happier life.

The JustBe Croydon website at www.JustBeCroydon.org has tips and advice to support you to achieve those common resolutions like quitting smoking, losing weight and being more active. Visit the website and set yourself some realistic, personal goals to boost your overall health and wellbeing.

The website has a Health MOT tool, which only takes five minutes to complete. It gives you a personalised report to consider how best to meet your health goals in the coming year.

You can also visit a Croydon Live Well advisor at their nearest health hub and speak to them about getting fitter and improving your mind and body. There is no need to make an appointment to see an advisor. The health hub locations can be found on the JustBe Croydon website.

A few simple changes like reducing the salt and sugar in your food and drink and just a few minutes of exercise daily, can make a big difference to your future health and happiness. My own experience is that slowly reducing salt and sugar works. Think also about getting your cholesterol tested.

It's not easy to change but taking it slowly and with determination can make a real difference to you. Go for it.

Recycling and collection of Christmas trees05/01/2019 23:46:00.......Posted by Robert Ward

Following on from the success of last year’s Christmas tree collections, Croydon Council will be collecting trees from kerbside properties again this year.

Once the festivities are over you can place your tree out for collection on your refuse collection day between Monday 14 January and Friday 25 January. Before you put your tree out for collection, please make sure you have removed all decorations, stands and pots. If these have not been removed, your tree may not be collected. For more details look here.

Please do contact us with any issues or concerns you may have. We answer all our constituents' correspondence and value your comments. If you want your concern addressed by your local team, please follow the link above.